In New York, President Joe Biden criticized Elon Musk for his perceived hypocrisy regarding immigration, following a report that claimed Musk once worked illegally in the U.S. The Tesla CEO, originally from South Africa, denied the allegations.
Biden pointed out, “The richest man in the world was actually an illegal worker here. He was supposed to be attending school on a student visa but wasn’t following the rules. And now he’s talking about all these illegal immigrants?” This statement was made during a campaign event in Pittsburgh at a union hall.
According to a report by The Washington Post, Musk came to Palo Alto, California, in 1995 to pursue a graduate program at Stanford University but never actually enrolled in classes. Instead, he focused on his startup while allegedly violating immigration laws.
In response to a video of Biden’s remarks, Musk posted on X, asserting, “I was in fact allowed to work in the US,” and called the President a “lying puppet.”
According to the report, investors in Musk’s company Zip2 were worried about the potential for their founder’s deportation and set a deadline for him to secure a work visa. Additionally, a 2005 email from Musk to his Tesla co-founders revealed that he acknowledged he did not have proper authorization to be in the U.S. when he started Zip2.
The email in question was submitted as evidence in a defamation lawsuit in California that has since concluded. In the email, Musk indicated that he had applied to Stanford to secure legal status in the U.S.
Today, Musk is recognized as the world’s richest man. He has donated over $70 million to support Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and other GOP candidates ahead of the November 5 election, making him one of the party’s top donors this campaign season. As the election approaches, Musk has been actively participating in events, often echoing Trump’s negative rhetoric on immigration.
Trump has also stated that he would offer Musk a position in his administration if he wins next month.
There was no immediate response from X or Tesla regarding requests for comment from Musk.